Mop with suction and squeegee facilities



March 17, 1953 H. E. SMITH, JR

MOP WITH SUCTION AND SQUEEGEE FACILITIES Filed Aug. 15, 195o Patented Mar. 17, -1953 UNITED STATE TENT OFFICE MOP WITH SUCTION AND SQUEEGEE FACILITIES Harry E. Smith, Jr., Tooele, Utah, assigner of forty-nine per cent to Fred A. Davis, Tooele,

Utah

Application August l5, 1950, Serial No. 179,545

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in mops which are eX- pressly designed and adapted to remove surface wat-er from a floor which has been scrubbed by hand or, alternately, through the instrumentality of a so-called wet mop.

t is a matter of common knowledge that a great deal of time and labor is involved in wringing out a wet mop by hand or by a special wringer on a scrubbing bucket. Then, too, mop wringing is exceedingly laborious and tiring to the user. For these and other reasons eiorts have been made to provide special implements for taking up the surface water with the aid of a special mop in which suction, from a vacuum cleaner or other source, serves to pull the Water into an appropriate collection container. Confronted with this unique problem I seek to substantially solve it through the medium of what is believed to be a structurally distinct and practical implement, that is, one which has the facilities of a clean wiping squeegee as well as conduit means which, aided by suction, pulls the water into a mobile container.

ln carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention, a hollow handle, which also serves as a conduit, is employed and this is provided at one end with an enlarged hollow head including an open suitably shaped frame. A iiller block, preferably a block of sponge rubber, is tted into said frame. This rubber block, although highly porous, is provided with a multiplicity of vertical passages communicatively opening into the head at their upper ends and having their opposite ends opening through what may be called the bottom or Work surface side of the block. A relatively rigid squeegee strip is embedded in the iiller block and located in the central portion of the latter so that it divides it into alternatively compressible halves, the floor contacting edge of said squeegee strip projecting beyond the iloor contacting and wiping surface of the filler block whereby, as the handle is pushed toward and from the user with the squeegee strip in contact with the floor or other surface, said halves are alternatively compressed to the extent that the pores and passages therein are momentarily closed while the pores and passages in the noncompressed halves are open.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings:

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the overall apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing, in a general Way, the manner of using the same;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in section and elevation showing the valve means;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in section and elevation depicting the precise construction of the mop head;

Figure 4 is a view based on Figure 3 and showing the manner in which the squeegee is hopped oack and forth to produce the unique valving action;

Figure 5 is a View on a small Scale, primarily in elevation, showing the operation of the mop along a licor surface and close to an adjacent wall surface.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to the apparatus phase of the invention shown in Figure 1, the mobile unit (not claimed) is denoted by the numeral 6 and this comprises a suitable tank or container 8 with roller means I on the bottom, handle means l2 and cover means lil. There is a neck or the like IB on one side near the top to accommodate a suction hose I8. IThis suction hose, in practice, will be connected with a vacuum cleaner (not shown) or perhaps to a suction pump in a modern-type clothes washing machine or to any other source of suction available. The suction source is, of course, no part of the invention. There is a similar neck 2s on the front upper portion of the container and this is adapted to accommodate a flexible hose 22 for delivering the loose surface water from the floor into the tank in an obvious manner.

The novel implement, the invention herein claimed, comprises a hollow handle 24 of appropriate material and length. The upper end of this is laterally directed as at 26 to provide a suitable hand-grip. The upper end portion is also provided with a coupling or union 28 which serves as a valve casing. This is provided interiorly with an appropriate valve seat 30 for the valve 32 the stem 3Q of which is operated by a manually controllable pivotally mounted lever 38. A coiled spring 38 is provided and surrounds the valve stem and bears against the lever and valve casing to normally keep the valve open. The valve (not claimed) is thus arranged conveniently in relation to the hand-grip so that it may be shut ofi whenever necessary or desired. The lower end portion lid of the handle is enlarged and merges into a hollow head embodying an open substantially rectangular frame 42. A ller block 4 I, which is preferably of sponge rubber, is tted into and fills said frame Although, the sponge rubber is in itself porous it is desirable to provide extra pores or passages le and l5 therethrough. The relatively rigid Wiper which may be best referred to as a squeegee strip et, is centrally embedded in the rubber block and divides the same into complemental halves 50 and 52, respectively. Due to the compressible nature of the rubber and the tendency of the passages to close up when squeezed and put under pressure, a novel valving action is thus made possible. For example, and as best shown in Figure 4l, the projecting wiping edge of the squeegee is in movable wiping contact with the licor surface A. Obviously, by grasping the handle and bearing down on the head the squeegee is iiguratively rocked back and forth. I have sometimes referred tothis as a heating squeegee. 1n any event, it will be plain that when the handle is pulled in a direction toward the operator the pulling and pressing action serves to incline the squeegee to the position shown in Figure e. Here, the passages in the half portion 50 are virtually squeezed together and closed. On the other side, that is, in the porti-on 52 the passa-ges are opened up and, therefore, assuming that the snot' n i on water from the surface of the floor is drawn up through the passages, into the handle through the hose 22 and deposited in the container 8. Whenever necessary the water iiow suction flow may be turned ofi by closing the hand-controlled valve means shown.

I know of no suction-type surtace water pickup and removing mop which is provided with a valved handle having a hose for connection to a trap or the like and through which suction is produced to act on the pores in a coinpressible head, the head being provided with an embedded squeegee which is sufciently sturdy that the to and fro movements bring about the valving action described and shown.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in the shape, si.nh and arrangement of details coming within iieid of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A mop cf the class described comprising a hollow head embodying a rigid open frame, a

hollow handle communicatively attached to said head, a filler block fitted in said frame, said filler block being of sponge rubber and having Water intake passages passing therethrough to permit water to be sucked from the surface of the floor into said handle, and a relatively rigid squeegee strip embedded in said ller block and located in the central portion of the latter and dividing it into alternately compressible halves, the floor contacting edge of said squeegee strip projecting beyond the floor contacting and wiping surface of said iiller block,

2. For use in connection with a conveniently available source of suction, a mop having both suction and squeegee facilities and comprising a hollow head embodying a rigid open frame of general rectangular form, a hollow handle communicatively joined with said head, a substantially rectangular block of porous, compressibly resiiient material mounted in and lling said frame and having a floor contacting and wiping surface projecting beyond the corresponding surface approaching portion of said frame, and an imperforate relatively rigid strip of rubber embedded in said block and of a length commensurate with the length of the block, said strip constituting a squeegee and having an edge portion projecting beyond the wiping surface of said block and dividing said block into complemental halves, one tore and one aft, whereby as the handle is pushed toward and from the user with the squeegee strip in contact with the floor or other surface, said halves are alternatively coinpressed to the extent that the pores therein are momentarily closed while the pores in the noncolnpressed half are open.

HARRY E. SMITH, JR.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 928,982 Iindel July 27, 1909 961,8i Squier June 21, 1910 1,026,104 Moorhead May 14, 1912 1,042,711 Moorhead Oct. 29, 1912 1,982,345 Kirby Nov. 27, 1934 2,218,595 Yutaler Oct. 22, 1940 2,506,077 Goldsmith May 2, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 520,621 Germany Mar. 14, 1931 

